Pharmacology/ Therapeutics News for July 2012

Pharmacology/ Therapeutics News Archive

UCLA researchers discover that Prozac is effective as an anti-viral UCLA researchers discover that Prozac is effective as an anti-viral

UCLA researchers have come across an unexpected potential use for fluoxetine – commonly known as Prozac – which shows promise as an antiviral agent. The discovery could provide another tool in treating human enteroviruses that sicken and kill people in the USA and around the world.

Immune drug helps patients with serious kidney disorder Immune drug helps patients with serious kidney disorder

A drug commonly used to treat immune disorders such as lymphoma and arthritis also benefits patients with an immune disorder of the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of new study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings could help people who are living with the condition, called idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), avoid taking the potentially toxic medications that are currently prescribed to treat it.

New line of approach for combination therapy against melanoma New line of approach for combination therapy against melanoma

Agnieszka Gembarska and Chris Marine from VIB and the University of Leuven have found a new line of approach in which to treat these aggressive skin cancers, namely by combating the interaction between the protein MDM4 and the tumor suppressor p53. Their research offers a new angle for the development of medication and confirms that combination therapies, including those using the recently developed BRAF inhibitors, hold the promise of further improvement of the clinical response to a treatment. This study was published in the authoritative journal Nature Medicine and will undoubtedly be followed with interest by the pharmaceutical industry.

Novel anti-malarial drug target identified Novel anti-malarial drug target identified

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified the first reported inhibitors of a key enzyme involved in survival of the parasite responsible for malaria. Their findings, which may provide the basis for anti-malarial drug development, are currently published in the online version of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

World's toughest bacterium holds promise for rapid vaccine development against deadly diseases World's toughest bacterium holds promise for rapid vaccine development against deadly diseases

Scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) have developed a new preparation method that renders a virus or bacterium non-infectious while preserving its immune-boosting ability after exposure to gamma radiation. A lethally irradiated vaccine was successfully tested in mice against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria by colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and holds promise for other such deadly diseases.

Tailor-made treatments in oncology to dominate future therapy Tailor-made treatments in oncology to dominate future therapy

Cancer treatments are becoming increasingly personalized, as regulators are approving therapeutics offering significant benefits to small target populations, according to a new report by healthcare experts GBI Research.

‘Post-it note’ on breast cancer gene signals risk of disease spreading ‘Post-it note’ on breast cancer gene signals risk of disease spreading

A molecular post-it note added to a breast cancer gene could flag up the risk that the disease will spread in patients, according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer.